Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

For the current operations of former DEI teams, see Chip Ganassi Racing.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Owner(s)	Teresa Earnhardt
Base	Mooresville, North Carolina
Series	Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA
Race drivers	Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Darrell Waltrip, Robby Gordon, Mark Martin, Kenny Wallace, Paul Menard, Martin Truex, Jr., Regan Smith, Aric Almirola, Kerry Earnhardt
Sponsors	Budweiser, NAPA Auto Parts, Pennzoil, Bass Pro Shops, Menards, U.S. Army, Burger King, Quaker State, Nilla Wafers, Oreo, Peak, Papa John's Pizza, Smith & Wesson, Taco Bell, KFC, Goodwrench, Coca-Cola, Ritz, Wrangler, ACDelco
Manufacturer	Chevrolet
Opened	1980
Closed	2009
Career
Drivers' Championships	6
Race victories	106

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) was founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt. From 1998 to 2009, the company operated as a NASCAR-related organization in Mooresville, North Carolina, United States. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion. He died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR. In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., and sponsors Anheuser-Busch, National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into the latter's shop, while the former's closed down.

DEI celebrated the life and legacy of Earnhardt through an annual celebration of his birthday on April 29, also known as Dale Earnhardt Day. DEI maintains a showroom at the former race shop in Mooresville where fans can purchase memorabilia and other goods. The organization also pursues partnerships which bring tribute to Earnhardt's memory. Notable drivers for DEI included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin, John Andretti, Kenny Wallace, and Darrell Waltrip.

Cup Series history

Car No. 01 History

Main article: Ginn Racing

Mark Martin (2007)

Regan Smith drove the 01 part-time in 2007, then drove the 01 for DEI in 34 of 36 races in 2008, winning Rookie of the Year.

Mark Martin in the 2007 Auto Club 500 at California.

Regan Smith's car from 2008

Before the 01 car was ran under the DEI banner, the team ran as MB2 Motorsports, with their cars driven by drivers such as Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader, and Joe Nemechek. Veteran Mark Martin, coming off his final year with Roush Racing, was signed drive MB2's No. 01 car for 23 races (21 points races plus the Budweiser Shootout and Nextel All-Star Challenge) in 2007, with Joe Nemechek moving over from the 01 team to the team's new 13 team. Regan Smith was pinned to fill the remaining 16 races of the season, while driving in the Busch Series for the team as well. MB2 Motorsports also changed its name to Ginn Racing to reflect Bobby Ginn's new majority interest in the team. Martin was leading in the final turn of the season-opening Daytona 500, after lining up on the final restart with former Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth behind him. Coming down the front stretch, and with the field wrecking behind him, Martin looked to have finally come through at Daytona. But the caution was not called, and Kevin Harvick caught Martin on his outside, beating him to the line by two-hundredths of a second. Martin put together more strong finishes, and after the fourth race at Atlanta was leading the points standings in what was supposed to be his first season of semi-retirement. Resisting the chance to capture his first championship, Martin did step out of the car as scheduled, breaking a streak of 621 consecutive starts. In 24 starts for the team, Martin scored 11 top 10s, and finished 27th in points despite missing 12 races.

Regan Smith (2007-2008)

Rookie Regan Smith meanwhile made his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, finishing 25th. Smith would run 6 more races in the car, with a best finish of 24th at Talladega Superspeedway. On July 17, it was announced that Smith would move to the 14 car on a full-time basis, replacing veteran Sterling Marlin. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Aric Almirola, who was granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing after being pulled out of a car he qualified on the pole during a Busch Series race in favor of Denny Hamlin, signed on to be the new co-driver of the 01. With the merger of Ginn and DEI not long afterwards, Smith was left on the sidelines while Almirola ran 5 races. Aric's results were not much better than Regan's, with a best finish of 26th at Phoenix. Martin and Almirola would move to the 8 car for 2008.

In 2008, Smith was named the full-time driver of the 01 car (now fully operated by DEI), with Martin and Almirola as well as sponsor U.S. Army moving to the 8 car to replace the departing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Principal Financial Group was signed as the primary sponsor for the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. Principal often ran as a secondary sponsor on the sides of the car, with a DEI logo on the hood in lieu of full sponsorship. Steak-umm and Coors Light were also sponsors in one-race deals. Ron Fellows replaced Smith at the two road course races, scoring a 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen. Smith almost won the 2008 AMP Energy 500, passing Tony Stewart on the final lap and crossing the finish line in first. Smith, however, was found to be passing below the yellow line upon video review, and per NASCAR had his position revoked, leading to an 18th-place finish. Though he finished 34th in points with no top 10 finishes, Smith became the first rookie to finish every race he entered during the 2008 season and was named Rookie of the Year at the season's end. The 01 team disbanded after DEI merged with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, and Smith moved on to Furniture Row Racing.

Car No. 01 Results

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2007	Mark Martin	01	Chevy	DAY 2	CAL 5	LVS 5	ATL 10			TEX 3	PHO 12		RCH 17	DAR 14	CLT 11	DOV 7	POC 7	MCH 29			DAY 17	CHI 14	IND 6	POC 9		MCH 42			RCH 21		DOV 4	KAN 12		CLT 16		ATL 43	TEX 34		HOM 9	17th	3793
	Regan Smith							BRI 25	MAR 26			TAL 24							SON 30	NHA 32					GLN 37					NHA 36
	Aric Almirola																										BRI 36	CAL 31					TAL 30		MAR 43			PHO 26
2008	Regan Smith			DAY 37	CAL 31	LVS 34	ATL 38	BRI 26	MAR 14	TEX 35	PHO 35	TAL 21	RCH 21	DAR 29	CLT 19	DOV 21	POC 28	MCH 32		NHA 27	DAY 24	CHI 34	IND 31	POC 25		MCH 29	BRI 14	CAL 26	RCH 23	NHA 23	DOV 37	KAN 32	TAL 18	CLT 23	MAR 42	ATL 30	TEX 34	PHO 23	HOM 34	32nd	2872
	Ron Fellows																		SON 29						GLN 13

Car No. 1 History

No. 14 (1996-1997)

In 1996, DEI debuted in the Winston Cup series for the first of two appearances at Pocono Raceway with the No. 14 Racing for Kids-sponsored Chevrolet driven by Jeff Green. Robby Gordon also drove the car in an appearance for DEI at Charlotte Motor Speedway later in the season. In 1997, sponsored by Burger King, Steve Park, a Busch Series standout, drove the car in four races, with the team failing to qualify in another four.

Steve Park (1997-2003)

In 1998, the team switched the car number from No. 14 to No. 1 in an agreement with Richard Jackson, another car owner. DEI received sponsorships from Pennzoil and Park and made a bid for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors. In the third race of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Park failed to qualify. The following week, Steve suffered a broken femur, collarbone and shoulder blade in a severe crash during practice at Atlanta. Ron Hornaday Jr. failed to qualify the car in the following weekend at Darlington before the team brought in 3-time champion Darrell Waltrip. He drove the car for 13 races while Park recovered from his injuries and finished in the Top 10 twice. Park returned at the Brickyard 400 and following a crash, he finished 35th. In 1998, Park posted two 11th-place finishes and finished 42nd in points.

2001 Cup car at Dover being driven by Kenny Wallace (injury replacement for Steve Park)

In 1999, Park finished in the Top 10 five times and 14th in points. In 2000, he won his first two Bud Pole awards and won his first race at Watkins Glen International, his home track. He finished the season 11th in points. In 2001, in the first race after Earnhardt's death, he beat Bobby Labonte in a photo finish at North Carolina Speedway. Park's career encountered difficulties at a Busch Series race at Darlington Speedway. During a caution, his steering wheel became disconnected from the column. The car immediately veered to the left and was impacted by the quicker-moving vehicle of Larry Foyt. Kenny Wallace drove the car while Park recuperated and won second place at the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at the North Carolina speedway. Park gradually recovered from his injuries and returned, ironically, at the 2002 spring Darlington race. Park ran strong in his return, taking the lead at lap 18, and proceeding to lead 19 laps. Park, however, crashed when trying to pass Stacy Compton's lapped car, and proceeded to collect polesitter Ricky Craven. Park would finish 39th, 160 laps down. This was one of many signs the accident was still affecting Park, and he struggled to regain his form. Park would suffer another hard crash on the opening lap of a race at Pocono, in which Rusty Wallace collided with Park exiting turn 1. The No. 1 then turned dead left and dragged teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s No. 8 car through wet grass towards the short and relatively unreinforced inside guardrail (prior to SAFER Barriers). Park hit the metal rail, then proceeded to flip several times and land on the driver's side. In mid 2003, he was relieved of driving duties and was replaced by Jeff Green. (Park took over Green's No. 30 AOL Chevy at Richard Childress Racing, previously Earnhardt's car owner)

In a last-second decision in June 2003, Ty Norris suggested a former student of Earnhardt's, Ron Fellows, to drive the No. 1 for the road course events as a road course ringer. In 2001 Fellows was finalizing a deal to drive the No. 1 full-time in 2002 but Earnhardt's death left this invalid. Using advantage of this rare opportunity, Fellows almost won the 2003 Dodge Save/Mart 350 in which he controlled the race late in the event and lost when he waited too long for his final pit stop.

Part time (2004-2005)

2008 Cup car at Daytona driven by Martin Truex Jr.

Both Green and Pennzoil left DEI when the 2003 season finished and the team moved to a part-time status with Pete Rondeau as the crew chief. They occasionally fielded cars for John Andretti, a two-time winner. Ron Fellows returned to the No. 1 for the 2004 Watkins Glen race bringing sponsorship of Nilla Wafers and Nutter Butter with him. During the race, Ron qualified 43rd after qualifying was cancelled due to rain. Despite this, Ron put up an amazing drive through the field in which he charged from 43rd place to finish second behind winner Tony Stewart.

Martin Truex Jr. (2005-2009)

In the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, DEI ran a part-time schedule with Martin Truex Jr. making seven starts in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. The team returned to full-time status in 2006, collecting five Top 10’s and finishing 19th in points. On June 4, 2007, Truex scored his first career NEXTEL Cup victory in the No. 1 car at the Dover International Speedway in a COT race. Truex also qualified to race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup that year. He was DEI's only representative in the 2007 Chase for the Cup and his qualification is, to date, the last for a driver in a DEI car. At the end of 2009, Truex left the team for Michael Waltrip Racing to drive the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry.

Car No. 1 Results

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
1996	Robby Gordon	14	Chevy	DAY	CAR	RCH	ATL	DAR	BRI	NWS	MAR	TAL	SON	CLT	DOV	POC 36	MCH	DAY	NHA	POC 41	TAL	IND	GLN																	47th	147
	Ron Hornaday Jr.																							MCH DNQ	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS
	Robby Gordon																														CLT 38	CAR	PHO	ATL
1997	Steve Park			DAY	CAR	RCH	ATL	DAR	TEX	BRI	MAR	SON	TAL	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	CAL	DAY	NHA	POC DNQ	IND	GLN 33	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	NHA DNQ	DOV DNQ	MAR	CLT DNQ	TAL	CAR 33	PHO 41	ATL 15					48th	294
1998		1		DAY 41	CAR 31	LVS DNQ																IND 35	GLN 18	MCH 11	BRI 34	NHA 41	DAR 24	RCH 27	DOV 11	MAR 24	CLT 36	TAL 41	DAY 33	PHO 24	CAR 35	ATL 17				26th	2857
	Phil Parsons						ATL DNQ
	Ron Hornaday Jr.							DAR DNQ
	Darrell Waltrip								BRI 23	TEX 36	MAR 40	TAL 15	CAL 5	CLT 17	DOV 20	RCH 32	MCH 12	POC 6	SON 13	NHA 13	POC 13
1999	Steve Park			DAY 34	CAR 26	LVS 16	ATL 32	DAR 12	TEX 32	BRI 23	MAR 25	TAL 37	CAL 24	RCH 34	CLT 42	DOV 16	MCH 6	POC 13	SON 42	DAY 42	NHA 12	POC 8	IND 15	GLN 12	MCH 20	BRI 31	DAR 10	RCH 16	NHA 15	DOV 9	MAR 12	CLT 10	TAL 14	CAR 15	PHO 15	HOM 19	ATL 12			14th	3481
2000				DAY 31	CAR 9	LVS 43	ATL 4	DAR 39	BRI 7	TEX 19	MAR 25	TAL 32	CAL 16	RCH 11	CLT 9	DOV 19	MCH 29	POC 15	SON 17	DAY 33	NHA 28	POC 15	IND 16	GLN 1*	MCH 33	BRI 5	DAR 10	RCH 4	NHA 34	DOV 4	MAR 11	CLT 7	TAL 19	CAR 6	PHO 3	HOM 8	ATL 18			11th	3934
2001				DAY 31	CAR 1	LVS 7	ATL 43	DAR 2*	BRI 9	TEX 2	MAR 19	TAL 31	CAL 15	RCH 4	CLT 22	DOV 2	MCH 23	POC 32	SON 40	DAY 20	CHI 41	NHA 6	POC 13	IND 7*	GLN 10	MCH 9	BRI 7													16th	3782
	Kenny Wallace																											DAR 41	RCH 21	DOV 22	KAN 17	CLT 23	MAR 20	TAL 6	PHO 11	CAR 2	HOM 14	ATL 28	NHA 25
2002				DAY 30	CAR 10	LVS 27	ATL 22																																	30th	2912
	Steve Park							DAR 39	BRI 24	TEX 20	MAR 24	TAL 34	CAL 22	RCH 34	CLT 38	DOV 39	POC 23	MCH 32	SON 23	DAY 34	CHI 27	NHA 32	POC 43	IND 7	GLN 39	MCH 41	BRI 26	DAR 36	RCH 11	NHA 29	DOV 26	KAN 30	TAL 6	CLT 15	MAR 16	ATL 15	CAR 24	PHO 21	HOM 17
2003				DAY 29	CAR 21	LVS 10	ATL 16	DAR 20	BRI 30	TEX 39	TAL 20	MAR 24	CAL 40	RCH 43																										31st	2935
	Jeff Green														CLT 19	DOV 25	POC 33	MCH 28		DAY 29	CHI 16	NHA 30	POC 31	IND 20		MCH 21	BRI 40	DAR 18
	Ron Fellows																		SON 7						GLN 38
	John Andretti																												RCH 14	NHA 12	DOV 34		KAN 19	CLT 30	MAR 31	ATL 22	PHO 16	CAR 30	HOM 42
	Jason Keller																															TAL 26
2004	John Andretti			DAY 13	CAR 29	LVS	ATL	DAR	BRI	TEX	MAR	TAL	CAL	RCH	CLT 19	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY 43	CHI 16	NHA	POC	IND																44th	844
	Ron Fellows																								GLN 2	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH
	Martin Truex Jr.																													NHA DNQ	DOV					ATL 37	PHO	DAR	HOM 32
	Kenny Wallace																															TAL 32	KAN	CLT	MAR
2005	Martin Truex Jr.			DAY 34	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL 21	DAR	RCH	CLT 7	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND 42								TAL 28	KAN	CLT	MAR	ATL 40	TEX 15	PHO	HOM	48th	614
	Paul Menard																								GLN 27	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV
2006	Martin Truex Jr.			DAY 16	CAL 15	LVS 20	ATL 19	BRI 38	MAR 19	TEX 8	PHO 22	TAL 36	RCH 41	DAR 14	CLT 21	DOV 22	POC 24	MCH 15	SON 16	DAY 29	CHI 19	NHA 18	POC 10	IND 19	GLN 28	MCH 30	BRI 18	CAL 18	RCH 40	NHA 22	DOV 6	KAN 11	TAL 5	CLT 31	MAR 36	ATL 37	TEX 14	PHO 12	HOM 2	19th	3673
2007				DAY 29	CAL 42	LVS 12	ATL 8	BRI 37	MAR 29	TEX 7	PHO 20	TAL 10	RCH 28	DAR 11	CLT 16	DOV 1*	POC 3	MCH 2	SON 24	NHA 3	DAY 13	CHI 39	IND 12	POC 22	GLN 6	MCH 2	BRI 11	CAL 6	RCH 15	NHA 5	DOV 13	KAN 38	TAL 42	CLT 17	MAR 19	ATL 31*	TEX 3	PHO 7	HOM 6	11th	6164
2008				DAY 20	CAL 6	LVS 15	ATL 21	BRI 13	MAR 21	TEX 36	PHO 8	TAL 37	RCH 5	DAR 14	CLT 34	DOV 6	POC 17	MCH 17	SON 16	NHA 4	DAY 17	CHI 9	IND 24	POC 15	GLN 5	MCH 16	BRI 35	CAL 19	RCH 16	NHA 7	DOV 20	KAN 43	TAL 41	CLT 14	MAR 10	ATL 15	TEX 8	PHO 43	HOM 10	15th	3839

Car No. 8 History

Main articles: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, and Aric Almirola

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car from 1999-2007

Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 8 part-time in 1999, Full-time from 2000 to 2007.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1999-2007)

The No. 8 car was DEI's second cup series entry, the team was formed to bring Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the Winston Cup Series and opted to use the No. 8 which was formerly used by Stavola Brothers Racing, who ceased operations in 1998. Earnhardt Jr. drove the Budweiser-sponsored No. 8 in five Cup races in 1999, making his debut at Charlotte in the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. He finished in the top ten once and led one lap.

In 2000, Earnhardt Jr. moved to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. That year, Earnhardt Jr. won two poles and three races (including The Winston, where he became the first rookie to win the event), but finished runner-up to Matt Kenseth in the competition for NASCAR Rookie of the Year. On July 7, 2001, Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, the first Cup race at Daytona after Earnhardt, Sr.'s death. Using the No. 8, Earnhardt, Jr. set a record by winning four consecutive races at Talladega.

In 2002, Earnhardt Jr. had a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring an April concussion at the NAPA Auto Parts 500—an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana, he finished no better than 30th. However, Earnhardt Jr. rallied to sweep both Talladega races (leading a dominating 133 of 188 laps in the spring race), a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the standings with eleven Top 5s and sixteen Top 10 finishes.

In 2003, Earnhardt Jr. became a true title contender, scoring a record-breaking fourth consecutive win in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, after being involved in a 27-car crash on lap 4. He struggled for most of the race, and was at points a half-lap down, only catching back up to the pack through a caution. The win was controversial because on the last lap, it appeared that Earnhardt Jr. went below the yellow line to gain position, but NASCAR ruled that Matt Kenseth had forced Earnhardt below the line, making it a clean pass. Earnhardt Jr. scored a victory at Phoenix in October, recording a career best 3rd-place effort in the standings, with thirteen Top 5s and twenty-one Top 10 finishes.

On February 15, 2004, 6 years to the day after his father's win, Earnhardt Jr. won the 2004 Daytona 500. He won a further five races that season. Though he failed to qualify for the Chase Cup in 2005, he did race in 2006 when he finished fifth. On May 10, 2007, Earnhardt Jr. announced that he would not return to DEI for the 2008 season; on June 13, 2007, officially announced his move to Hendrick Motorsports (HMS); and on August 16, 2007, that he would not retain the No. 8 car number.

Mark Martin/Aric Almirola split time in the No. 8 in 2008

Aric Almirola's No. 8 in 2009

Mark Martin and Aric Almirola (2008-2009)

On September 12, DEI announced Mark Martin and Aric Almirola as co-drivers of the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet with crew chief Tony Gibson for the 2008 season, both finishing 28th and 42nd in points respectively. Martin left DEI after the 2008 season to replace Casey Mears in the No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet and join Dale Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports. In 2009, the Army withdrew their support in favor of Ryan Newman's No. 39 car at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Almirola was engaged to drive the No. 8 Guitar Hero World Tour-sponsored Chevrolet for the full 2009 season but the sponsorship lasted only four races. Following the 2009 Samsung 500 at Texas, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announced that the operations of the No. 8 team were being suspended indefinitely due to a lack of sponsorship (which had been operating on a race to race basis). Almirola sued Earnhardt Ganassi Racing but the matter was settled out of court. Crew chief Doug Randolph would depart and join Richard Childress Racing for the remainder of 2009, while Almirola joined Billy Ballew Motorsports for 16 races in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Car No. 8 Results

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts	Ref
1999	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	8	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	TEX	BRI	MAR	TAL	CAL	RCH	CLT 16	DOV	MCH	POC	SON	DAY	NHA 43	POC	IND	GLN	MCH 24	BRI	DAR	RCH 10	NHA	DOV	MAR	CLT	TAL	CAR	PHO	HOM	ATL 14			48th	500
2000				DAY 13	CAR 19	LVS 10	ATL 29	DAR 40	BRI 38	TEX 1*	MAR 26	TAL 42	CAL 12	RCH 1	CLT 4*	DOV 10	MCH 13	POC 19	SON 24	DAY 35	NHA 21	POC 13	IND 13	GLN 40	MCH 31	BRI 21	DAR 11	RCH 13	NHA 31	DOV 16	MAR 36	CLT 19	TAL 14	CAR 34	PHO 27	HOM 13	ATL 20			16th	3516
2001				DAY 2	CAR 43	LVS 23	ATL 15	DAR 34	BRI 31	TEX 8	MAR 11	TAL 8	CAL 3	RCH 7	CLT 25	DOV 3	MCH 39	POC 20	SON 19	DAY 1*	CHI 11	NHA 9	POC 2	IND 10	GLN 12	MCH 12	BRI 14	DAR 17	RCH 3	DOV 1*	KAN 33	CLT 4	MAR 27	TAL 1	PHO 37	CAR 15	HOM 15	ATL 7*	NHA 24	8th	4460
2002				DAY 29	CAR 26	LVS 16	ATL 2	DAR 4	BRI 4*	TEX 42	MAR 5	TAL 1*	CAL 36	RCH 36	CLT 35	DOV 30	POC 12	MCH 22	SON 30	DAY 6	CHI 10	NHA 23	POC 37	IND 22	GLN 35	MCH 10	BRI 3	DAR 16	RCH 4	NHA 11	DOV 24	KAN 6	TAL 1*	CLT 9	MAR 4	ATL 5	CAR 34	PHO 5	HOM 21	11th	4270
2003				DAY 36	CAR 33	LVS 2*	ATL 3	DAR 6*	BRI 16	TEX 2	TAL 1	MAR 3*	CAL 6	RCH 3	CLT 41	DOV 11	POC 4	MCH 7	SON 11	DAY 7	CHI 38	NHA 6	POC 3	IND 14	GLN 3	MCH 32	BRI 9	DAR 25	RCH 17	NHA 5	DOV 37	TAL 2	KAN 18	CLT 9	MAR 4	ATL 6	PHO 1	CAR 13	HOM 24	3rd	4815
2004				DAY 1	CAR 5	LVS 35	ATL 1	DAR 10	BRI 11	TEX 4	MAR 3	TAL 2	CAL 9	RCH 1	CLT 6	DOV 3	POC 6	MCH 21	SON 11	DAY 3	CHI 22	NHA 31	POC 25	IND 27	GLN 5	MCH 21	BRI 1	CAL 34	RCH 2	NHA 3	DOV 9	TAL 1	KAN 9	CLT 3	MAR 33	ATL 33	PHO 1	DAR 11	HOM 23	5th	6368
2005				DAY 3	CAL 32	LVS 42	ATL 24	BRI 4	MAR 13	TEX 9	PHO 4	TAL 15	DAR 8	RCH 14	CLT 33	DOV 22	POC 33	MCH 17	SON 42	DAY 3	CHI 1	NHA 9	POC 32	IND 43	GLN 10	MCH 18	BRI 9	CAL 38	RCH 20	NHA 5	DOV 31	TAL 40	KAN 34	CLT 42	MAR 18	ATL 4*	TEX 8	PHO 40	HOM 19	19th	3780
2006				DAY 8*	CAL 11	LVS 27	ATL 3	BRI 11	MAR 4	TEX 12	PHO 23	TAL 31	RCH 1	DAR 5	CLT 11	DOV 10	POC 14	MCH 3	SON 26	DAY 13	CHI 5	NHA 43	POC 43	IND 6	GLN 18	MCH 6	BRI 3	CAL 2	RCH 17	NHA 13	DOV 21	KAN 10	TAL 23*	CLT 4	MAR 22	ATL 3	TEX 6	PHO 9	HOM 19	5th	6328
2007				DAY 32	CAL 40	LVS 11	ATL 14	BRI 7	MAR 5	TEX 36	PHO 19	TAL 7	RCH 13	DAR 8	CLT 8	DOV 22	POC 12	MCH 5	SON 13	NHA 4	DAY 36	CHI 19	IND 34	POC 2	GLN 42	MCH 12	BRI 5	CAL 5	RCH 30	NHA 16	DOV 3	KAN 10	TAL 40	CLT 19	MAR 23	ATL 25	TEX 14	PHO 43	HOM 36	16th	3929
2008	Mark Martin			DAY 31	CAL 16	LVS 10	ATL 22			TEX 8	PHO 5		RCH 3	DAR 16	CLT 15	DOV 23	POC 10	MCH 25			DAY 10	CHI 17	IND 11	POC 8		MCH 6			RCH 5		DOV 4	KAN 18		CLT 9		ATL 22	TEX 12	PHO 14		14th	4097
	Aric Almirola							BRI 8	MAR 42			TAL 33							SON 25						GLN 35		BRI 13	CAL 30		NHA 18			TAL 13		MAR 20				HOM 35

Car No. 15 history

Michael Waltrip drove the No. 15 from 2001 to 2005

Michael Waltrip (2001-2005)

In 2001, the team raced the NAPA sponsored No. 15 (a possible reference to the No. 15 Ford Thunderbird that Earnhardt drove in 1982 and 1983 for Bud Moore Engineering). Michael Waltrip was announced as the driver for the 20001 season. In his first start for DEI, Waltrip won his first race in his 16 year career at the 2001 Daytona 500. An estatic Waltrip's dream come true soon turned into a nightmare, however, as his win was overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt's death. Waltrip soon proved to have prowess at the superspeedways, leading laps at most Talladega and Daytona races. Between 2001 and 2003, Waltrip won a four races times (three at Daytona and one at Talladega). However, he often struggled to find speed outside of those two tracks. After two disappointing seasons without a win, including a 25th place points finish in 2005, Waltrip announced he would no longer drive for DEI, taking his NAPA sponsorship to Bill Davis Racing for one year before creating his own race team.

No. 15 Menard's Chevrolet in 2006

2008 racecar

Paul Menard (2006-2008)

For 2006, the No. 15 team moved to a part-time status, entering ten races but only qualifying for seven. Paul Menard, DEI's Busch Series driver drove and sponsorship was provided by Menards and PPG Paints. Menard finished seventh at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and moved to full-time in 2007. After the merger of Ginn Racing and DEI, the No. 15 team absorbed the owner points of the No. 14 car (formerly driven by Sterling Marlin), so they would be guaranteed a spot in each race for the remainder of the 2007 season. After the 2008 season, Menard took his talents and sponsorship to Yates Racing driving the No. 98 Ford. The DEI No. 15 team was disbanded.

Car No. 15 Results

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2001	Michael Waltrip	15	Chevy	DAY 1	CAR 19	LVS 13	ATL 23	DAR 25	BRI 22	TEX 39	MAR 24	TAL 28	CAL 43	RCH 35	CLT 28	DOV 43	MCH 29	POC 30	SON 20	DAY 2	CHI 22	NHA 28	POC 19	IND 25	GLN 18	MCH 36	BRI 39	DAR 36	RCH 20	DOV 39	KAN 38	CLT 18	MAR 19	TAL 37	PHO 23	CAR 21	HOM 2	ATL 26	NHA 40	24th	3159
2002				DAY 5	CAR 40	LVS 22	ATL 40	DAR 15	BRI 30	TEX 28	MAR 13	TAL 2	CAL 10	RCH 24	CLT 8	DOV 21	POC 8	MCH 4	SON 22	DAY 1*	CHI 42	NHA 20	POC 18	IND 16	GLN 9	MCH 15	BRI 22	DAR 24	RCH 36	NHA 8	DOV 12	KAN 26	TAL 8	CLT 11	MAR 18	ATL 11	CAR 19	PHO 20	HOM 41	14th	3985
2003				DAY 1*	CAR 19	LVS 3	ATL 27	DAR 5	BRI 25	TEX 17	TAL 24	MAR 23	CAL 7	RCH 12	CLT 6	DOV 16	POC 18	MCH 5	SON 13	DAY 11	CHI 5	NHA 28	POC 4	IND 16	GLN 13	MCH 7	BRI 42	DAR 37	RCH 32	NHA 26	DOV 42	TAL 1	KAN 39	CLT 14	MAR 26	ATL 38	PHO 5	CAR 37	HOM 41	15th	3934
2004				DAY 38	CAR 33	LVS 37	ATL 23	DAR 35	BRI 10	TEX 20	MAR 15	TAL 12	CAL 32	RCH 10	CLT 2	DOV 6	POC 33	MCH 10	SON 4	DAY 13	CHI 9	NHA 6	POC 36	IND 20	GLN 20	MCH 17	BRI 27	CAL 23	RCH 13	NHA 9	DOV 16	TAL 25	KAN 11	CLT 28	MAR 19	ATL 14	PHO 17	DAR 33	HOM 17	20th	3878
2005				DAY 37	CAL 38	LVS 21	ATL 7	BRI 19	MAR 30	TEX 6	PHO 2	TAL 3	DAR 34	RCH 9	CLT 36	DOV 13	POC 5	MCH 7	SON 22	DAY 40	CHI 36	NHA 17	POC 26	IND 16	GLN 41	MCH 27	BRI 15	CAL 13	RCH 31	NHA 15	DOV 26	TAL 42	KAN 40	CLT 29	MAR 27	ATL 11	TEX 41	PHO 33	HOM 29	25th	3452
2006	Paul Menard			DAY DNQ	CAL	LVS	ATL 7	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT 14	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	CHI DNQ	NHA	POC	IND DNQ	GLN 29	MCH 20	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL 34	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX 41	PHO	HOM 17	45th	669
2007				DAY DNQ	CAL 20	LVS 32	ATL 31	BRI DNQ	MAR DNQ	TEX 15	PHO 25	TAL 43	RCH 16	DAR 31	CLT DNQ	DOV DNQ	POC 28	MCH 12	SON DNQ	NHA 39	DAY 21	CHI 42	IND 20	POC 26	GLN 19	MCH 39	BRI 24	CAL 24	RCH 26	NHA 24	DOV 21	KAN 27	TAL 38	CLT 22	MAR 24	ATL 27	TEX 30	PHO 22	HOM 35	34th	2496
2008				DAY 22	CAL 27	LVS 22	ATL 19	BRI 32	MAR 16	TEX 17	PHO 21	TAL 14	RCH 31	DAR 36	CLT 41	DOV 22	POC 25	MCH 11	SON 34	NHA 29	DAY 15	CHI 26	IND 41	POC 42	GLN 28	MCH 24	BRI 16	CAL 37	RCH 34	NHA 21	DOV 21	KAN 27	TAL 2	CLT 26	MAR 27	ATL 31	TEX 22	PHO 26	HOM 30	26th	3151

Nationwide Series history

Car No. 3 history

Between 1989 and 2000, the No. 3 car won two championships (in 1998 and 1999 with Earnhardt Jr. driving). The car has been driven by Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, David Bonnett, Andy Petree, Jeff Green, Steve Park and Ron Hornaday Jr..

Car No. 8 history

The No. 8 car was raced by DEI starting in 1984, with Dale Earnhardt piloting his self-owned Wrangler Pontiac for the first time in the Mello Yello 300 at Charlotte. The car ran from 1984 to 1988 and then again from 2002 to 2008. In 2004 and 2005, it won two championships with Martin Truex Jr. The car has been driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jody Ridley, Kenny Wallace, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hank Parker, Jr., Steve Park, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, Jr., and Kerry Earnhardt.

Car No. 11 history

The No. 11 car was run by DEI in the Busch Series. During part of 2004 and through all of the 2005 and 2006 NASCAR seasons, Paul Menard made 83 starts in the car logging 31 Top-10 finishes, collecting one victory at the Milwaukee Mile in June 2006. In 2007, Menard made the full-time transition to the No. 15 car in the Nextel Cup Series, with a season-best finish of 12th in the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan. Martin Truex Jr. ran the final two races in the DEI No. 11 in 2007 at Daytona and Talladega.

Car No. 81 history

In 2003, DEI debuted the No. 81 car sponsored by Kraft Foods at Chicagoland Speedway, an event driver Jason Keller failed to qualify in. Pairing crew chief Kevin Manion with longtime Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti, the No. 81 made its first and only Winston Cup start in the Brickyard 400, crashing after 46 laps and finishing in 43rd. After moving the No. 81 entry to the Busch Series for 2004 and 2005, the car was driven in 7 races by owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., resulting in 4 Top 10 finishes and a win at Bristol Motor Speedway with crew chief Pete Rondeau.

Chance 2 Motorsports

Chance 2 Motorsports was a jointly owned subsidiary of DEI and Earnhardt Jr. The organization was operated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt. The team won two Busch Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. in 2004 and 2005. After this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. left the partnership with his stepmother to focus on his own race team, JR Motorsports.

Craftsman Truck Series history

Truck No. 16 history

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was a part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 1995 through 1999. Ron Hornaday Jr. was the full-time driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet C/K, sponsored by Papa John's Pizza in 1995 and NAPA Auto Parts from 1996 to 1999. Hornaday collected 25 wins for DEI and the 1996 and 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships.

Truck No. 76 history

A second DEI truck, no. 76, only made 4 total starts. Dennis Dyer and David Green each ran one race in 1995 at Sonoma and Phoenix, and Steve Park made a single start in both 1996 and 1997 at Las Vegas and Phoenix. Dyer was sponsored by Papa John's Pizza, while David Green received sponsorship from Smith & Wesson. Both of Steve Park's starts were in the Action Racing Collectables (now Lionel Racing) colors, a company which Dale Earnhardt partially owned.

Mergers

Ginn Racing

On July 25, 2007, DEI merged with Ginn Racing. The No. 01 team joined the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 15 teams. The merger did not affect the DEI team name.

Gallery

• 
  The No. 01 owned by Bobby Ginn (Ginn Racing) then (DEI).
• 
  The No. 1 owned by Teresa Earnhardt.
• 
  The No. 8 owned by Teresa Earnhardt.
• 
  The No. 15 inherited the No. 14 owner points owned first by Teresa Earnhardt and by then Bobby Ginn.
• 
  The No. 14 owned by Bobby Ginn shut down after the merge. The No. 15 inherited the No. 14 owner points.

• The No. 01 (Mark Martin/Aric Almirola) team was added to the DEI teams.
• The No. 15 (Paul Menard) inherited the owner points from the former No. 14 (Sterling Marlin), which guaranteed a starting spot for Menard at Indianapolis.
• The No. 13 (Joe Nemechek) team of Ginn Racing was disbanded.
• Bobby Ginn was listed as the owner of the No. 01 and No. 15 for the remainder of 2007.
• Teresa Earnhardt was listed as the owner of the No. 1 and No. 8 for the remainder of 2007.
• The shops of Ginn Racing housed the No. 15 and No. 01.
• The shops of DEI housed the No. 1 and No. 8.
• Fabrication work was to be done out of the Ginn Racing shops.

Chip Ganassi Racing

Further information: Chip Ganassi Racing

On November 12, 2008, DEI and Felix Sabates' Chip Ganassi Racing (Dodge) merged their NASCAR operations into one organization. The team, which became Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, remained a Chevy team. The No. 42 team joined the No. 1 and No. 8 for the 2009 Sprint Cup season. In 2014, EGR reverted to the Chip Ganassi Racing name.

Gallery

• 
  The No. 01 owned by Bobby Ginn shut down after merge with Chip Ganassi Racing.
• 
  The No. 1 owned by Teresa Earnhardt.
• 
  The No. 8 owned by Teresa Earnhardt but was shut down after 7 races in 2009.
• 
  The No. 15 owned by Bobby Ginn shut down after merge with Chip Ganassi Racing.
• 
  The No. 40 owned by Chip Ganassi shut down after merge with DEI.
• 
  The No. 41 owned by Chip Ganassi shut down after merge with DEI.
• 
  The No. 42 owned by [Chip Ganassi.

• The No. 40 (Dario Franchitti/David Stremme/Ken Schrader/Sterling Marlin/Jeremy Mayfield/Bryan Clauson) team of Chip Ganassi Racing was disbanded.
• The No. 41 (Reed Sorenson/Scott Pruett) team of Chip Ganassi Racing's number and owner's points were sold to Mayfield Motorsports.
• The No. 01 (Regan Smith) and No. 15 (Paul Menard) teams of DEI was disbanded.
• Chip Ganassi was listed as the owner of the No. 42.
• Teresa Earnhardt was listed as the owner of the No. 1 and No. 8.

Championships

• 1996 Craftsman Truck Series
• 1998 Craftsman Truck Series
• 1998 Busch Series
• 1999 Busch Series
• 2004 Busch Series
• 2005 Busch Series

Earnhardt Technology Group

Earnhardt Technology Group (ETG) was created in August 2009 to assist up-and-coming teams. It was founded to contribute resources and opportunities to race in championships. It serves the engineering and parts needs of more than thirty teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. ETG provides a broad range of engineering services to all levels of the racing industry; distribution of Renton springs; machine shop services (now contributing to many varied fields of mechanical engineering); a leasing service; sales of vehicles and component parts; and consultation and support.

Club E

Club E is the official fan club for Dale Earnhardt. It is a membership based fan club with three different levels based on contribution level (ranging from no fee to $49.99). Members of Club E have access to Dale Earnhardt footage, personal items, discounts at the DEI retail store, Carowinds, Kings Dominion, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Kannapolis Intimidators games, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, and Great Wolf Lodge, Inc. as well as member only events. Club E is currently suspended but does offer a Facebook page for fans to follow to receive news.

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation was founded with a mission to continue the legacy of Dale Earnhardt through charitable programs and grants reflecting Earnhardt's commitments to children, education and environment and wildlife preservation.

Partnerships

RAD Engine partnership

After the Fords were dominating the restrictor plate tracks in the late 1990s, DEI, Richard Childress Racing, and Andy Petree Racing partnered up with each other and formed the RAD Engine Program. Their first win was at the 2000 Winston 500 with Dale Earnhardt (which ended up being his 76th and final win). DEI won the 2001 Daytona 500, 2001 Pepsi 400, 2001 EA Sports 500, 2002 Aaron's 499, 2002 Pepsi 400, 2002 EA Sports 500, and the 2003 Daytona 500. RAD ended after Petree pulled out of the series in 2003 to focus on his Busch series program.

Earnhardt Childress Racing Technology

Main article: ECR Engines

Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR) was formed in May 2007 with cooperation between DEI and Richard Childress Racing, developing and building engines common to the Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series teams. In mid-2008, a stand-alone facility north of Salisbury in Welcome, NC (off exit 85 of I-85). was completed. ECR employs 130 technicians. Its engines have won in the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 with Jamie McMurray, the 2011 Southern 500 with Regan Smith, Coca-Cola 600 with Kevin Harvick, and Brickyard 400 with Paul Menard. The company is currently operated solely by RCR as ECR Engines.

JR Motorsports, Richard Childress, and Wrangler

On April 29, 2010, at the time of Earnhardt's induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, DEI announced a partnership with JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Wrangler Jeans where, for one race, as a tribute to his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would drive the No. 3 Chevrolet Impala. The blue and gold paint scheme paid homage to the car Dale Earnhardt drove in the 1980s. The car was raced in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on 2 July 2010. It was the first Nationwide Series race in the Car of Tomorrow event. Earnhardt Jr. started third, led for thirty-three and won the race. This was his first competitive NASCAR win since 2008.

Morgan-Dollar Motorsports

In 2007, DEI made a driver development contract with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports to provide trucks for developing drivers in 2007. This was inherited in the merger with Ginn Racing.

Drivers

Data from

Sprint Cup Series

Driver	Races	Wins	Poles
John Andretti	16	0	0
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	291	17	7
Ron Fellows	5	0	0
Robby Gordon	1	0	0
Jeff Green	14	0	0
Jason Keller	1	0	0
Mark Martin	24	0	0
Paul Menard	74	0	1
Steve Park	170	2	3
Regan Smith	34	0	0
Martin Truex Jr.	117	1	1
Kenny Wallace	17	0	1
Darrell Waltrip	13	0	0
Michael Waltrip	180	4	1

Busch Series

Driver	Races	Wins	Poles
David Bonnett	1	0	0
Neil Bonnett	1	0	0
Dale Earnhardt	117	17	6
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	91	21	9
Kerry Earnhardt	1	0	0
Jeff Green	52	0	2
Ron Hornaday Jr.	35	2	0
Paul Menard	94	1	2
Ryan Moore	3	0	0
Steve Park	32	3	1
Hank Parker Jr.	3	0	0
Andy Petree	1	0	0
Jody Ridley	1	0	0
Tony Stewart	3	0	0
Martin Truex Jr.	79	13	10
Kenny Wallace	1	0	0
Michael Waltrip	3	0	0

Craftsman Truck Series

Driver	Races	Wins	Poles
Dennis Dyer	1	0	0
David Green	1	0	0
Ron Hornaday Jr.	122	25	12
Steve Park	2	0	0

Winston West Series

Driver	Races	Wins	Poles
Steve Portenga	40	3	1

NASCAR Busch East/Camping World East Series

Driver	Races	Wins	Poles
Aric Almirola	1	1	0
Trevor Bayne	13	1	2
Jeffrey Earnhardt	25	0	1
Jesus Hernandez	13	0	0
Ryan Truex	1	0	0

External links

• Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owner statistics at Racing-Reference
• DEI official website
• ECR official website
• ETG website